Fireworks and process of making same.



No. 675,!02. Patented ma 28, mm. L. NORDLINGER.

FIREWORKS AND PROCESS OF MAKING SAME.

(Application filed Dec. 20, 1899.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT QEE CE.

LOUIS NORDLINGER, OF NElV YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO NORDLINGER- CHARLTONFIRE \VORKS COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

FIREWORKS AND PROCESS OF MAKING SAME,

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 675,102, dated May 28,1901.

Application filed December 20, 1899. Serial No. 740,991. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, Lotus NORDLINGER, a

citizen of the United States, residing at the city of New York, boroughof Manhattan, county and State of New York, (with post-office address at935 Madison avenue, in said city,) have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Fireworks and Processes of Making the Same, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates generally to the improvements in fireworkconstruction and in the mode of making the same, and specifically tofire-crackers, the object of which is to cheapen the cost ofmanufacture, while at the same time producing a'more effectivedetonating device.

The invention consists in the article and the process of making thesame, as hereinafter described, and further pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating an embodiment of myinvention, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a fire-cracker made inaccordance with my invention, and Fig. 2 a longitudinal sectionalelevation of the same. Figs. 3 and 4 respectively represent the detachedsections, Fig. 3 being partly in section. Fig. 5 diagrammaticallyrepresents the method of making the specific body illustrated in Figs. 1to 4; and Fig. 6 is a side elevation, partly in section, of attachedsections of a fire-cracker body of a modified form. Similar numerals ofreference indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Mypresent improvements relate more particularly to the construction offire-cracker bodies used with high-power explosives, although the samecan be advantageously employed in the usual fire-cracker construction.

In the art of making fire crackers, especially-where a high-powerexplosive, such as dynamite composition or the like, has been employed,serious consequences have resulted from premature explosions, thetendency to which results mainly from the methods of manufactureemployed, especially that part wherein the plugging or the choking ofthe tube occurs. To avoid the expense incidental to the employment ofcork for choking the tube, in which additional thickness of body-paperhas to be used to prevent the cork being forcibly ejected when the bodyis ex ploded, wads of compressed paper have been resorted to, and inchoking the tube with these wads, which often have been impregnated withglue or the like, it has happened that friction-sparks have beengenerated and the charge exploded, it being necessary to choke one endafter the charge has been inserted. With my improvements this danger isavoided. Clay plugs or plugs made from the body of the tube can be usedin the usual way to choke the ends and comparatively less thickness ofpaper employed than heretofore.

One of the methods of practicing my invention and producing my improvedbody will now be described.

I take a sheet of paper or other fabric 1 of which it is desired toconstruct the body and of the proper dimensions and produce thereon byany Well-known device and in the rolling direction thereof a line ofweakness 2 3, as by scoring, perforation, &c., which may be disposed soas to cause said line to lie in diametric alinement, as in my patent,or, as preferred, (for reasons hereinafter stated,) the line is causedto extend diagonally across the sheet, as shown in Fig. 5. This sheetisthen rolled upon itself to form the convolute folds or spirals at 5 toform the body 6, having the bore 7 7, (during which rolling: the scoringor perforating is done,) the edges of the pa per being secured down inany suitable way. The tube thus formed is thus divided into sections 8 9(of which any suitable number can be used) ready to be separated fromthe main body or tube. By exerting a torsional or twisting pressure onthe body the tube is separated into the sections 8 9 on the line ofweakness 2 3, the section 9 then presenting a projecting nose 10, formedby the graduallyprojecting spirals of paper, the inclined surface ofwhich is stepped, as at 11, which stepping is formed by thegradually-increasing projection of the successive convolutions andinfluenced by the diagonal disposition of the scoring or perforatinglines 2 3. This separation of the tube into sections produces in theopposing end of the section 8 a stepped recess 12, formed in the sameway and by the same act, the nose and recess 10 12 forming aninterlocking joint. The sections 8 9 are then ready for independentchoking, charging, and fusing, all of which may be done by the sameoperator or by different persons, while as independent sections a plug13, of clay or other desired material, is forced into the bore 7 of thesection 8 to choke its end opposite the recess 12 and a charge ofexplosive material 14 placed in the bore, as indicated in Fig. 2, andthe section 9 is likewise provided with a plug 15 and igniting-fuse 16.The sections are now ready to be joined together to form the completedfire-cracker properly charged, fused, and choked, and it will be notedthat this condition has been brought about without subjecting the chargetot-he influence of accidental or premature discharge.

To secure the sections together, the nose 10 is dipped into someadhesive substance 17, such as glue, preferably, or the same may beotherwise applied so as to cause the same to cover its stepped surface,whereupon it is inserted by a screwing action into the stepped recess,the stepping of the surfaces of the recess and nose producing aninterlocking joint, which with the increase of surface produced by thespiral extension of the tube convolutions for the deposition of theadhesive substance forms a firm point, which actual detonation hasdemonstrated is as strong if not stronger than the tube in other parts.The tube may then be finished by rolling an outer covering thereon inthe well-known way or as desired,

It is clear that the nose and recess can be formed upon either sectionof the tube, and it is also clear that instead of forming the tube inthis way from a blank or sheet of paper just wide enough to make asingle body in length a sheet of paper of sufficient width to makeseveral finished tubes can be employed, the division into completetube-sections being had in accordance with my beforedescribed patent, inwhich the weakening is diametrically alined. It is also apparent thatinstead of utilizing the diagonally-disposed line of scoring orperforation 2 3 the sheet can be weakened as per my patent or the tubessevered in any other known waythat is to say, my invention can beutilized by merely cutting a tube into sections of the desired lengthand then securing the substantially flat faces of the two sectionstogether, as indicated at 18 in Fig. 6, the sections having been choked,charged, and fused, as previously described in connection with sections8 and 9. .e

I prefer that the section carrying the fuse should be the shortest, soas to allow the other section to be provided with the charge, which isnot packed tightly therein, but it is free to move about, so that whenthe two sections are secured together the bores 7 and 7 will becomealined, allowing the fuse 16 to enter into or project into closeproximity to the charge 14, thus causing the effective assemblage of theparts to be readily acconiplised. It is not essential that the fuse bebrought into physical contact with the charge, as a sputtering fuse maybe employed to ignite the charge 14 in the well-known way. It is alsoobvious that the plug 13 may also be provided with a fuse and thatinstead of employing but two sections, as 8 and 9, in the constructionof the firecracker it may be constructed of any number of desiredsections; but I prefer the herein-described method of construction, asit produces with the smallest number of parts and great economy in laborand cost of material the sections each provided with component parts ofthe complete fire-cracker, each one requiring only attachment togetherand subsequent finishing, as before described, if desired, to at onceproduce a complete firecracker or firework, and this without subjectingthe charge of the operator to the danger of inadvertent explosion.

Having described my invention, I claim- 1. The art of making fireworks,which consists in forming a hollow tube, dividing said tube intosections, choking the outer end of each of the sections, charging onesection, fusing the other section, and uniting the two sectionstogether, with their bores alining, substantially and for the purposesherein set forth.

2. The art of making fire-cracker or firework bodies, which consists inspirally disposing a sheet of fabric upon itself, to form a tube havinga bore, and weakening the fab ric of said tube on a line diagonal to thedirection of rolling, severing said tube on said line of weakness intoseparate sections, choking the outer end of each of the sections,charging one of the sections, and fusing the other of the sections, andfirmly uniting thesevered surfaces of the sections together, with therespective bore of the sections alining, substantially and for thepurposes herein set forth.

3.. As an article of manufacture, a firework, comprising severalsections, one section having a plugged end and a charge as componentelements, another and opposing section having a plugged and fused end ascomponent elements, both sections being firmly united transverselybetween said plugged or choked ends by added means, the bores of saidsections alining, substantially as described.

4;. As an article of manufacture, a firework or fire-cracker, comprisingseveral sections, one end section having a choked end and a containedcharge, the other end section having choked end and a fuse, the opposinginner ends of said sections having an interlocking projection andrecess, which are firmly united together to aline the bores of saidsections and complete the firework, substantially as described.

5.. A firework-body, comprising the sections 8 and 9, section 9 having aconed pro-' j ection comprising a plurality of stepped and shell and abore, an annular projection from the shell, forming agradually-diminishing nose having a stepped and ragged surface, theshell of the other section having a like and inwardly-extending steppedrecess of gradually-diminishing diameter, and adapted to receive thestepped nose of the other section, substantially as described.

Signed at the city, county, and State of New York this 16th day ofDecember, 1899.

- LOUIS NORDLINGER. Witnesses:

CHARLES G. HENsLEY, HERBERT F. DURBUR.

